Understanding Your Authorization

If you are eligible for a subsidy, a Wisconsin Shares agency worker will work with you to assess your child care needs and determine the amount of child care that can be subsidized. When an authorization is completed, you will receive a notice with the authorization details of your authorization.

The Authorization Notice will give you information about the amount of child care that is subsidized by the Wisconsin Shares program and the number of hours of child care that are included in the authorization for each of your children.

Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy

Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy program assists families by paying a portion of the child care for child(ren) under the age of 13; or, up to age 19 if a child has special needs.

Wisconsin Shares will pay towards child care only when the parent(s) is working or engaged in another approved activity that leads to work. These activities are called approved activities. If a parent uses child care for activities other than the activity for which the subsidy payment was intended, the parent is responsible to pay for those hours of child care on his or her own.

Parents are responsible to know the cost of your child care. You must talk with your child care provider to find out the actual cost of your child care needs. Parents are required to pay the difference between what the provider charges for care and what Wisconsin Shares pays up to the full cost of care for their children. This is considered the “Parent Share.”

It is also important to know your child care provider’s payment policies including payment schedules, deadlines, grace periods, and late fees.